The United States Wednesday expressed deep disappointment over Israel’s decision to speed up settlement building. The Israeli move came after UNESCO, the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, granted the Palestinians full membership, action that also drew U.S. criticism.

The Israeli settlement decision and the action by UNESCO Monday amounted to a double setback for the Obama administration, which has opposed unilateral steps by either side that would set back peace hopes.

Israel said it would accelerate the building of 2,000 new housing units in East Jerusalem and in two Jewish settlements in the West Bank in action widely seen as retaliation for the Palestinians’ successful membership bid in UNESCO.

Israel also said it would freeze transfers of tax revenues owed to the Palestinian Authority.

The moves drew unusually blunt criticism from both the White House and the State Department, where spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said this week’s events are taking U.S.-led peace efforts in the wrong direction.

“We are deeply disappointed by yesterday’s announcement about the accelerated housing construction in Jerusalem and the West Bank. We continued to make our opposition to this clear to the government of Israel. And as we’ve said again and again and again, unilateral actions by either party work against efforts to resume direct negotiations and do not advance the goal of a reasonable and necessary agreement between these parties.”

Nuland said the transfer of money to the Palestinian Authority - be it in U.S. aid, or tax receipts on-passed by Israel - is key to strengthening institutions for a future Palestinian state.

The Obama administration this week halted U.S. dues payments to UNESCO - amounting to more than 20 per cent of the agency’s budget, under terms of a law passed by the US Congress several years ago.

There are also calls by lawmakers for cuts in direct U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority because of its drive for U.N. statehood recognition outside of negotiations with Israel .

At a policy conference at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, former U.S. ambassador to Israel Samuel Lewis said the latest settlement action was a misguided effort by Israeli hardliners to strike back after the UNESCO vote.

“These actions taken the last day or two reflect the knee-jerk reaction (hasty reaction) of the right-wing in the cabinet. We have to show that warnings that we gave them if they went to the U.N., if they went to UNESCO we’re going to demonstrate that that has a price. So they’re trying to make them pay the price. It’s a terrible strategy,” Lewis said.

The State Department’s Victoria Nuland said despite the latest events, U.S. envoys hope to meet with Israeli and Palestinian officials “in the next couple of weeks” on the next step in a peace plan by the international Middle East Quartet that aims at a two-state settlement by the end of 2012.

The Quartet, made up of the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations, wants the parties to present detailed proposals on the territorial and security aspects of a peace accord by late January.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has told his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, that his country could face further consequences to what he called its “already strained economy” if Moscow does not fully comply with a cease-fire in Ukraine. The two met, on Monday, on the sidelines of a U.N. Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, where Kerry outlined human rights violations in Russian-annexed Crimea and eastern Ukraine. VOA State Department correspondent Pam Dockins reports from Geneva.

Video

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has told his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, that his country could face further consequences to what he called its “already strained economy” if Moscow does not fully comply with a cease-fire in Ukraine. The two met, on Monday, on the sidelines of a U.N. Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, where Kerry outlined human rights violations in Russian-annexed Crimea and eastern Ukraine. VOA State Department correspondent Pam Dockins reports from Geneva.

Video

Diagnosing infections such as HIV requires expensive clinical tests, making the procedure too costly for many poor patients or those living in remote areas. But a new technology called lab-on-a-chip may make the tests more accessible to many. VOA’s George Putic reports.

Video

Afghan officials have expressed concern over reports of a crackdown on Afghan refugees in Pakistan following the Peshawar school attack in December. Reports of mass arrests and police harassment coupled with fear of an uncertain future are making life difficult for a population that fled its homeland to escape war. VOA’s Ayesha Tanzeem reports from Islamabad.

Video

Despite the ongoing ceasefire in Ukraine, soldiers in the city of Mariupol fear that pro-Russian separatists may be getting ready to attack. The separatists must take or encircle the city if they wish to gain land access to Crimea, which was annexed by Russia early last year. But Ukrainian forces, many of them volunteers, say they are determined to defend it. Patrick Wells reports from Mariupol.

Video

As low oil prices and Western sanctions force Russia's economy into recession, thousands of Moscow restaurants are expected to close their doors. Restaurant owners face rents tied to foreign currency, while rising food prices mean Russians are spending less when they dine out. One entrepreneur in Moscow has started a dinner kit delivery service for those who want to cook at home to save money but not skimp on quality. VOA's Daniel Schearf reports.

Video

The United States and Cuba say they have made progress in the second round of talks on restoring diplomatic relations more than 50 years after breaking off ties. Delegations from both sides met in Washington on Friday to work on opening embassies in Havana and Washington and iron out key obstacles to historic change. VOA’s Mary Alice Salinas reports from the State Department.

Video

One after another, presumptive Republican presidential contenders auditioned for conservative support this week at the Conservative Political Action Conference held outside Washington. The rhetoric was tough as a large field of potential candidates tried to woo conservative support with red-meat attacks on President Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress. VOA Political Columnist Jim Malone takes a look.

Video

New Yorkers take pride in setting world trends — in fashion, the arts and fine dining. The city’s famous biannual Restaurant Week plays a significant role in a booming tourism industry that sustains 359,000 jobs and generates $61 billion in yearly revenue. VOA's Ramon Taylor reports.

Video

Issues like the Keystone XL pipeline, fracking and instability in the Middle East are driving debate in the U.S. about making America energy independent. Recently, the American Energy Innovation Council urged Congress and the White House to make expanded energy research a priority. One beneficiary of increased energy spending would be the Brookhaven National Lab, where clean, renewable, efficient energy is the goal. VOA's Bernard Shusman reports.

Video

There has been a surge of interest in the American civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s, thanks in part to the Hollywood motion picture "Selma." Five decades later, communities in the South are embracing the dark chapters of their past with hopes of luring tourism dollars. VOA's Chris Simkins reports.

Video

With the end of summer in the Southern hemisphere, the Antarctic research season is over. Scientists from Northern Illinois University are back in their laboratory after a 3-month expedition on the Ross Ice Shelf, the world’s largest floating ice sheet. As VOA’s Rosanne Skirble reports, they hope to find clues to explain the dynamics of the rapidly melting ice and its impact on sea level rise.

Video

A Lao dam project on a section of the Mekong River is drawing opposition from local fishermen, international environmental groups and neighboring countries. VOA's Say Mony visited the region to investigate the concerns. Colin Lovett narrates.